Keywords: Agriculture,
Crop Water Use, Irrigation Systems, Water Use Efficiency

Start Date: 03/01/2003

End Date: 02/28/2006

Federal Funds:
$0

Non-Federal Matching Funds: $108,112

Congressional District: 1

Principal Investigators:
Drew W. Johnson

George Vance

Renduo Zhang

Abstract

Development of best management practices (BMP) for irrigated agriculture
has become essential because efficient use of water is crucial with the ongoing
drought in Wyoming and because irrigated agriculture contributes to non-point
source pollution of our ground and surface waters. Proper management of water
and the appropriate application of fertilizers can increase agricultural
productivity while minimizing water quality degradation. Microirrigation,
such as subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), offers the opportunity for precise
application of water and fertilizers. Such irrigation methods are being developed
as environmentally-friendly farming practices and systems. In the proposed
study, field experiments and computer modeling will be conducted to quantify
both water and fertilizers uptake by crops, and the potential of nitrate
leaching into ground water in subsurface drip and flood irrigated fields.
Detailed field data and comprehensive numerical simulations will help us
to understand many theoretical and technical questions in the applications
of SDI. The study will provide the necessary information for developing and/or
improving irrigation management to enhance crop (e.g. alfalfa) productivity
and to minimize ground and surface water contamination.